The purpose of Bethel's General Education program is to help students develop the skills and insights to live successfully and to serve Christ effectively in the world that awaits them after graduation.

To help students build these skills, the program is intentionally:

Multidisciplinary. Learn different methodologies of study by taking courses in the great fields of learning-the humanities, the social sciences, the natural sciences, and the arts.

Interdisciplinary. Recognize the interconnectedness of ideas and events by taking courses created and team-taught by faculty from various academic departments.

Developmental. Cultivate intellectual growth by taking courses at different levels, allowing content, methodology, and critical thinking skills to increase in complexity as students mature intellectually, emotionally, and spiritually.

Integrated. Understand how the Christian faith informs all areas of study by taking courses taught by faculty who are committed Christians as well as experts in their field.

Benefits of General Education at Bethel

Bethel's commitment to learning is rooted in the liberal arts, an approach that insists we better understand and appreciate the created world, the Creator, and each other by learning through a variety of perspectives and methods of study.

A liberal arts education guides students through the study of multiple academic disciplines, such as the humanities, the fine arts, the natural sciences and the social sciences, each with its method of study, approach to discovery, and means of expression. It provides opportunities for students to learn about their own culture as well as the cultures of those who live close and far away, in the present and in the past.

Specific job skills evolve as technology, demographics, markets, and resources change. But the need for employees who are able to understand multiple perspectives, collaborate with diverse individuals, communicate effectively, adapt to change, and make decisions informed by their faith and ethics does not. Our multidisciplinary General Education curriculum equips students with these essential abilities and is a beneficial complement to the learning accomplished in any major field of study.